Space 13
9:06:33 PM Josie: Yay! 9:12:13 PM Josie: During lunch with Stella, someone started sniping at them; she got shot, they escaped, Coil got Stella to Tiktok's maker, Teela, who transferred some of Coil's blood to Stella and removed the bullet. Tiktok booked Coil and Stella the honeymoon suite in a posh hotel and they fell asleep together. 9:12:26 PM Josie: Coil has had some very, hrm, *interesting* dreams. 9:12:33 PM Coil: Oh? 9:13:30 PM Josie: Some of them were terrifying--they mostly involved being unable to move, with a stifling feeling of dread. 9:13:58 PM Coil: Yikes. 9:15:12 PM Josie: The other dreams were a *lot* better, and generally involved Stella and very little clothing. All of it has the sort of piecemeal quality of a dream; when he wakes up all he remembers are bits and pieces and a few vivid images. 9:15:23 PM Coil: Coil looks over at her. 9:15:42 PM Josie: She's not there. 9:17:32 PM Coil: Coil looks around, then! 9:20:43 PM Josie: No one's there! 9:20:49 PM Josie: There's sounds coming from the bathroom, though. 9:23:13 PM Coil: Shower? 9:24:58 PM Josie: Yep. 9:27:00 PM Coil: Coil nods, and goes to make coffee! 9:27:10 PM Coil: ((Had to put the mac and cheese away.)) 9:28:27 PM Josie: ((Omnom.)) 9:28:40 PM Coil: Coil looks for Snowflake. 9:32:00 PM Josie: Snowflake is nowhere to be seen--until Coil spots the tiny kitten on the bed, sleeping. 9:32:05 PM Josie: She blends in with the sheets a bit. 9:32:24 PM Coil: Coil yawns and pokes around the kitchenette! 9:34:53 PM Josie: There's not much in the way of food, other than the chocolate, but there *is* a menu and ordering pad for room service. 9:35:11 PM Coil: Coil will order breakfast, then. 9:35:20 PM Coil: And snack on a truffle. 9:36:12 PM Josie: Ordering for yourself only, or Stella too? 9:36:52 PM Coil: Coil will order for two! 9:37:42 PM Josie: *And* he has coffee waiting when she finally opens the door of the bathroom, too! Good man. 9:38:15 PM Josie: She's still pretty without any makeup, but it's decidedly less eyecatching. Well, unless you think damp-girl-in-only-a-bathrobe is eyecatching, I suppose. 9:38:50 PM Coil: Coil smiles. 9:38:55 PM Josie: The pink synthetic skin Teela used to patch her up (rather literally) isn't visible; it's underneath the robe, which actually does cover everything. 9:39:02 PM Josie: Stella: Did you have good dreams? 9:40:22 PM Coil: Mostly. 9:44:34 PM Josie: Stella smiles. "Good. Oh, you made coffee, that smells... *nice.*" 9:44:51 PM Coil: There's some breakfast coming, too. 9:46:50 PM Josie: Stella pours herself and Coil a cup of coffee each, and puts her hands around hers, breathing it in. 9:49:56 PM Josie: Stella: When I was little I used to hate the taste of coffee. But I always loved the smell. 9:50:24 PM Coil: I was the opposite way. I hated the smell. The woman who raised me... she only drank coffee when something was wrong. 9:50:33 PM Coil: She usually drank tea. 9:52:04 PM Josie: Stella: "The woman who raised me." That's an odd turn of phrase. 9:52:23 PM Coil: She wasn't really my mother. Adoptive or otherwise. 9:52:40 PM Josie: Stella: That's sad. I'm sorry. 9:53:03 PM Coil: It's all right. 9:54:04 PM Coil: Made my peace with it awhile ago. 9:54:48 PM | Edited 9:55:22 PM Josie: Stella: My parents were so different from each other. My father loved mornings and the garden, and my mother hated nature and never woke up earlier than was absolutely necessary. 9:55:03 PM Josie: Stella: But they both loved coffee. 9:55:11 PM Coil: Coil nods. 9:55:49 PM Josie: Stella: He would make the coffee, she'd finish it and wash the pot, every day. 9:57:50 PM Coil: Coil sips at his coffee. 9:58:24 PM Coil: ... do you think the Coalition would try and kill you for leaving? 9:58:59 PM Josie: Stella: Maybe. But I think they'd've done that before if they'd wanted to, surely. 9:59:38 PM Coil: Well, if they contract outside assistance, they get deniability. 10:00:44 PM Josie: Stella: They haven't killed the others, as far as I know. 10:00:57 PM Coil: Did the others leave the Coalition? 10:01:22 PM Josie: Stella: ... no. 10:02:58 PM Josie: Stella: The person shooting at us was out of my range, unfortunately. 10:03:06 PM Coil: Coil nods. 10:05:23 PM Josie: Stella: So. You had no mother; what about the rest of your family? 10:05:57 PM Coil: I was an orphan. 10:07:33 PM Coil: So... no other family. 10:07:46 PM Josie: Stella: That would have been so lonely. 10:09:43 PM Josie: Stella: I can't imagine not having Irene. 10:09:47 PM Coil: Well, I can't imagine growing up with a twin. 10:12:03 PM Josie: Stella: No one ever mistook us for each other, since I could remember. 10:12:18 PM Coil: Really? 10:13:48 PM Josie: Stella: Mmhmm. 10:13:59 PM Josie: Stella sips her coffee, slowly, now that it's cooled a bit. 10:14:12 PM Josie: Stella: She's so terribly driven. 10:15:52 PM Coil: That's how they could tell? 10:17:30 PM Josie: Stella: Yes. 10:17:52 PM Josie: Stella: It showed, though. We had different hair, different clothes, everything. 10:19:15 PM Coil: ... well, that makes sense. 10:20:43 PM Coil: You're the second set of twins I've known. 10:23:59 PM Josie: Stella: Oh, *are* we. 10:24:03 PM Josie: She waggles her eyebrows. 10:24:07 PM Coil: ...not like that. 10:24:12 PM Coil: I killed the first set. 10:24:59 PM Josie: Stella: Oh. 10:25:21 PM Josie: Stella: Arguably less disturbing. 10:26:34 PM Coil: Jean-Baptiste and Gloria Van Graff. Weapons dealers and slavers. 10:27:25 PM Josie: Stella: Quite a bit less disturbing, then. 10:27:40 PM Josie: Stella: .. it's good that you don't do that kind of work anymore. 10:28:05 PM Coil: Mmm. 10:28:14 PM Coil: Coil sips his coffee. 10:29:29 PM Josie: Stella: I don't think I could have done it. 10:29:56 PM Josie: Stella: ... I certainly couldn't now. 10:30:34 PM Coil: No? Why not? 10:31:28 PM Josie: Stella: Believe it or not, I'm pretty highly trained. For the most part I have to make an effort to feel anything outside of myself. 10:32:10 PM Josie: Stella: Death is an exception. 10:32:25 PM Coil: ...ah I see. 10:33:28 PM Josie: Stella: ... it's uniquely terrible. 10:34:29 PM Coil: I can imagine. Well, I can't. And I should be thankful for that. 10:37:32 PM Josie: Stella: Yes. 10:37:57 PM Josie: Stella: It's debilitating. 10:44:10 PM Coil: Well, I don't plan on killing anyone around you. 10:46:36 PM Josie: Stella: Thank you. 10:46:45 PM Josie: Stella: It would be very uncomfortable. 10:54:26 PM Josie: Stella: I always wondered if they'd made that a failsafe, so that we wouldn't be able to hurt them. 11:54:17 PM Coil: ... maybe. I would be worried about them putting all kinds of stuff in my head. 11:55:58 PM Josie: Stella: They may have. I wouldn't know. 11:59:13 PM Coil: Coil nods. "I ordered up some breakfast." 12:00:47 AM Josie: Stella: You're not the slightest bit worried I might suddenly turn out to be someone else, or an evil clone, or programmed to kill you. I like that. 12:01:36 AM Coil: Nah. Well, you kind of are a clone already. 12:03:11 AM Josie: Stella: Only in the sense that all twins are. 12:03:22 AM Coil: Right. 12:04:53 AM Josie: The doorbell goes off. 12:05:09 AM Coil: Coil goes to the door! 12:07:47 AM Josie: There's a maid, dark-haired and very sleek, with a trolley, visible through an electronic monitor on the door. "Room service." 12:09:18 AM Coil: Coil steps away from the door, opening it and allowing her in, standing behind her just in case. 12:11:19 AM Josie: She rolls the trolley in, deposits two elegantly-folded napkins on top of it, and then eyes Coil for a moment. 12:11:40 AM Coil: Coil smiles pleasantly! 12:13:23 AM Josie: Stella, politely: We'll add the tip on at the end of our stay. 12:13:43 AM Josie: The maid nods deferentially, lowering her eyes, and steps out, closing the door quietly behind her. 12:14:16 AM Coil: Coil nods, and looks at Stella. "Can't be too careful." 12:14:38 AM Josie: Stella: Are you going to inspect it for bombs as well? 12:16:12 AM Coil: Coil does! 12:17:07 AM Josie: There aren't any bombs. 12:17:25 AM Josie: There is, however, a closed envelope with "Hakan" written on it. 12:18:35 AM Coil: Coil frowns, and takes the envelope, holding it up to the light. 12:18:59 AM Josie: The envelope is very thin; it seems like all that's inside is a single piece of paper, folded in half. 12:19:29 AM Coil: Coil opens it, then! 12:21:40 AM Josie: All it says is, in all-caps but written with something like a marker: "Missed you." Then there's a little heart drawn underneath. 12:22:18 AM Coil: ... well, I guess he was after me. 12:22:27 AM Coil: Coil hands her the note. 12:23:11 AM Josie: Stella takes it. "Awfully clumsy killer, then." 12:23:21 AM Josie: Stella: ... I'm not relieved. 12:25:02 AM Coil: Me neither. We have to get back to the ship. 12:26:52 AM Josie: Stella: ... shame. It might've been nice to stay here another night. Do we have time to eat breakfast? 12:29:40 AM Coil: ... yeah, actually. Take your time. They want us to know that they know we're here, maybe hoping to get us out of the hotel. 12:30:15 AM Josie: Stella nods, and takes the lid off the plates; the food is still hot underneath. 12:30:50 AM Josie: She pulls up a chair, swings up the sides of the trolley to make a small table, and starts nibbling her food. "How are we going to get out without getting shot?" 12:31:19 AM Coil: Coil hits a control on the wall to close the blinds or whatever, if they're not open already. 12:31:34 AM Coil: ... I don't know. I'll think of something. 12:31:46 AM Coil: Maybe we should stay another night. 12:32:15 AM Josie: The blinds close! they have an automatic timer and open with light, unless set not to. 12:32:38 AM Josie: Stella: I wouldn't mind. If you can stand being stuck with me for that long. 12:32:47 AM Coil: Coil will set them to stay closed. 12:33:03 AM Coil: I think I can manage that. 12:35:38 AM Josie: Stella smiles. "What would we do all day? There *is* a hot tub. And we could watch movies." They're holographic movies, but they're still called movies. 12:36:55 AM Coil: It's a honeymoon suite. I figure it's meant for people to not leave. 12:38:18 AM Josie: Stella: Yes, but we're not actually married. I'm not even positive we're a couple. 12:39:14 AM Coil: Coil smiles. "Well. We can find wholesome ways to entertain ourselves. 12:39:55 AM Coil: I can defend us better in here. And it'll give me time to figure out a way to get back to the ship. 12:43:15 AM Josie: Stella: Chess, or maybe checkers. 12:44:16 AM Coil: I'm sure there's an emergency honeymoon kit that has boardgames. 12:46:12 AM Josie: Stella: I imagine an emergency honeymoon kit has very few board games in it. 12:46:49 AM Coil: Well, I meant, when couples need a break from... chafing. or something. 12:47:36 AM Josie: Stella: They have doctors on call, I'm sure. 12:50:49 AM Josie: Stella: Should we worry about chafing? 12:52:17 AM Coil: From checkers? Not unless we're playing it very wrong or very right. 12:53:18 AM Josie: Stella: I wasn't exactly thinking of checkers. 12:56:29 AM Coil: Chess? 12:57:42 AM Josie: Stella: If that's what you want to do. 12:58:36 AM Coil: I'm just trying to play coy. How am I doing? 1:00:24 AM Josie: Stella: Very well. Though I have to say, cat suits you better than mouse. 1:02:08 AM Coil: Coil smiles.